


staring down a loaded gun

by trixicinkflair



Series: that which we call a rose [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Accidents, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Blood and Injury, Creativitwins, Eventual Happy Ending, Exhaustion, Fae & Fairies, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Injury, Magic, Magical Exhaustion, Neopronouns, Not Really Character Death, Presumed Dead, Protective Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Protective Siblings, Self-Sacrifice, War, gender-neutral original character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29292072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trixicinkflair/pseuds/trixicinkflair
Summary: -"Remus, what do you think you're doing?"Remus flashes him that infuriatingly self-assured grin. "Saving your life, dumbass.""Remus, you promised me you wouldn't do anything stupid," Roman hisses, grabbing his sleeve and trying to drag him back down. Remus knocks him off with a single flick of his wrist, green light flashing and blinding Roman."Since when do you know me to not do anything stupid?" his brother snorts. "Besides, I was crossing my fingers the whole time.""Remus, don't-"He's already gone, the dark forest swallowing him up, and Roman closes his eyes, the explosion rocking the ground beneath his feet, and tamps down the grief already welling in his chest. "Move out," he says, turning back to Kalika. "We need to get back to the Mindscape."-this is mainly centered around roman because i love him and i don't write about him enough // fic is properly capitalized
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Platonic LAMP/CALM
Series: that which we call a rose [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153094
Kudos: 2





	staring down a loaded gun

**Author's Note:**

> the mindscape is actually just what they call their base camp, for reasons being...nothing, actually, i'm just way too lazy to come up with a cool name for it. like, i had a random idea that "wow what if it looked like a brain from above, that'd be kinda cool" and then the idea just never went anywhere, it's never even mentioned so far, but that's how i'm picturing it in my head.
> 
> title is from cemetery drive, i'm still on my mcr titles spree bullshit, (you should see my drafts) deal with it /hj
> 
> ~ink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman meets her eyes. “We have yet to hear a confirmation from my brother. We have to wait for him."  
> Kalika's eyes had gone dark and sad at the mention of Remus. "You mean you don't know?"  
> Roman draws away from her tone. "What has happened?"  
> Kalika looks away, unable to meet his eyes. "Prince Remus will not be joining us. He was injured in a battle last night and the healers are unsure if he will recover."

Roman... had his fair share of rather not-so-smart moments. He acted impulsively a lot, following his heart and not stopping to think as much as he probably should. Sometimes it got him hurt, and once it almost left him squished under a rock at the bottom of a very deep river.

Now is probably not the best time to tell you that he's about three seconds from being trampled by a dragon witch. It isn’t even a hard fight, neither of them have truly tried to do any damage, but Roman's exhausted.

He barely has the energy to raise his sword, much less dodge, but just before she steamrolls right over him, she inexplicable comes to a halt, sides heaving, smoke curling from her snout.

"Prince Roman, I think it would be unwise to continue," she hums, form rippling into something much closer to human. Her silver-grey wings fold against her back, and she self consciously tugs at the hair around her horns, trying to hide them. "You are not fit to fight even a beetle in your current state."

He glowered at her. "Keep going, Kaida."

She bows, golden eyes flashing in the setting sun. "I cannot in good conscience, my prince. You should return home."

Roman pries himself off the ground, shaking dirt from his hair and trying to appear more put-together than he actually was. "Tomorrow, then?" he asks. "We cannot afford to skip training days."

She nods and backs away, scales rippling across her face and disappearing like a flickering illusion. "I shall await your arrival." With that, her wings flick outward and she launches herself into the air, transitioning back into her dragon form in mid air.

Grinning at her theatrics, his mood just slightly lifted with the promise of another session, Roman flicks his wrist, waiting for the portal to open so he could return to the Mindscape...and nothing happens. He tries again, brow creasing as he strains, and for the first time, the unsettling stillness in the air hits him.

Not physically, there's a gentle breeze curling through the clearing, the trees and flowers are already re-growing and healing where his fight with Kaida had left the clearing a little worse for wear. But the magic, the energy he would normally feel drifting through the air, through his very being, is gone. Vanished without a trace.

He growls, good mode gone like the magic that could bring him home. "Kalika, what have you done?" he demands of the air.

There's a whoosh as she materializes behind him. "I have done nothing."

He whirls to face her. "The portal won't appear, and I cannot feel the connection."

Kalika snorts at him. "I am innocent of all charges, Prince Roman. You are not the only one being affected by the imbalance."

He takes in her appearance, and instantly moves to her side. "What happened?" he asks gently.

Kalika shudders as his hand grazes her forest green armour, the shoulder plate twisted awkwardly like something had tried to rip it from her body. It's digging painfully into the back of her shoulder, drawing blood that drips crimson down the back of her arm.

”Scouts patrolling the edges of the other kingdom have not returned, and I went to investigate. The darkness creeps closer, my prince. It is no longer safe here for the townspeople. You must warn them before it is too late."

"Who attacked you, Kalika?"

The faerie grimaces, pulling away from his hands as he tries to make sure she isn't injured. "It was not a who so much as a what," she says. "They've taken physical form."

Roman's eyes widen, mind racing through the possibilities. "I thought they were too weak," he says. "They were barely able to attempt to force their way through the Haze just a few weeks ago."

"A farce, meant to lull us into security," Kalika growls. "The Haze is growing weaker as well, barely securing our borders. It's time to fight back. Meet fire with fire, head on."

Roman places his hand on her shoulder, pulling back slightly as she winces, and meets her eyes. "Kalika, we are not prepared for a war. The dragons are scattered, the fae are few enough as is, and we cannot locate over half of the missing townspeople. Not to mention we have yet to hear a confirmation from my brother. We have to wait for him."

Kalika's eyes had gone dark and sad at the mention of Remus. "You mean you don't know?"

Roman draws away from her tone. "What has happened?"

Kalika looks away, unable to meet his eyes. "Prince Remus will not be joining us. He was injured in a battle last night and the healers are unsure if he will recover."

Roman shakes his head a few times, trying to process the information. "What? No, I...I saw him yesterday, how is this possible? He was...there was no reports of an attack last night, when did this happen?"

"On the far border of Prince Remus's kingdom. There was no warning and no time for a counter attack or even preparations before they were overwhelmed."

"That isn't like him, to be caught off guard," Roman says suspiciously. "He would never lower defenses enough to allow something to slip through."

"They never lowered shields, and all magic protections were still in place, even when reinforcements arrived," Kalika countered. "It was like they were attacked by ghosts. No one left alive has an accurate description of the assailants, and all accounts are too conflicting to get even a vague guess from their stories. Some of the survivors have gone mad."

"Why was I not informed of this?" Roman demands.

Kalika bows her head a bit, her sharp eyes glinting. "Reports only came in just this morning, my prince. If Kaida had been informed, she would have passed along the message, but we could not reach her before she was due to leave. Calypso and Chepi are trying to keep the barriers in place, and they are the only ones fast enough to have reached you before I did. I was the fastest available messenger."

"And something attacked you on your way here? Inside my borders?"

"No, no, I was on the border this morning with Calypso and was summoned home to my family. The message came then, and I was the only one available," she corrects.

He relaxes marginally, but her words don't do much to comfort him. "I need to see my brother. Where is he?"

"Calypso had him transferred to the palace, my prince. Do you require assistance in your travels?"

"You need to return home and rest, you're barely staying on your feet," Roman says gently, steadying her as she sways a bit.

"I have orders to protect and serve you," she says firmly, taking a step towards him. "I swear on my True Name that I shall not leave you."

Roman shudders as the magic settles into place. "Kalika," he starts, but she cuts him off.

"Let me accompany you. I fear for your safety, especially with the borders in such chaos. You can hold your own, but I would feel much better if I could ensure that. Let me do my job, as both a servant of the royal family, and...as your friend."

Roman softens at her pleading, and nods. "Very well. Do you need a horse?"

She contemplates for a moment, uninjured arm moving back to brush her wings, which are trembling from exhaustion. "I'm afraid so."

Roman nods. “You can ride with me for now, you’re exhausted.”

She gives him a weary smile and agrees. “Don’t push me down a hill,” she teases.

"Kalika, we were seven,” Roman huffs, a small smile creeping onto his dace despite himself. He untied the lead on Leaf's bridle, and swings himself up onto her back, holding out a hand for Kalika.

She gives him the finger, giggling, and accept his help getting onto the mare. Leaf trots further into the trees, and it gets noticeably darker almost instantly. Kalika shifts closer to Roman, bright eyes alert and predatory, fixed on the forest around them like she's expecting the trees themselves to come alive and attack.

"How is your sibling?" Roman asks, trying to lighten the suddenly tense atmosphere.

She wrinkles her nose at him. "Xyr fine, just driving me insane, as usual. Most days, I'd be perfectly content to shove xem into the river, I think."

"Wouldn't that hurt xem?"

Kalika shakes her head. "Running water is not something that will harm us, nor are we are even marginally averse to it."

"I know _that_ , Kal, I meant wouldn't it hurt to get dumped into a river?"

She shrugs, a wicked grin creeping onto her face. "I'll ask xem when xe managed to haul xemself out," she says casually.

"Kalika!" Roman says, pressing a hand to his chest, faking horror, but his laughter ruined the image.

Klika's laughter cuts off abruptly, body tensing. "Hush."

"What?" Roman breathes. "What do you hear?"

"Footsteps, now hush," she hisses back, pulling a knife from her boot and hopping gracefully off of Leaf. Roman does the same, holding into her reins.

"Kal, move back about three steps." Roman shuffles closer to the faerie, trying to take her hand. "You're too exposed out there."

She waves him off dismissively, making a hushing gesture at him as he opens his mouth to protest again.

"Hush," he hisses sharply. "I don't know who's out there."

"You know, if I wanted to kill you, the two of you bickering is enough of an incentive. You're loud enough to attract unwanted attention, I could hear you from across the river."

Roman relaxes as soon as he hears the voice, turning and dropping his arms to his sides. "Logan."

"You're off course," he says, turning his strange, intense gaze on Roman.

Kalika shuffles her feet, obviously embarrassed at having not corrected their path, and Roman places a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. She flashes him a grateful smile.

Logan glances between them and turns away. "Follow me. I'll bring you back to the Mindscape."

He paused, then just shook his head and continued forward. "We've been waiting for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> help, did i use the right word? is it "averse" or "adverse"? because, like, they have such similar definitions that i honestly have no idea which one is the one i'm looking for. so i just used "averse" because it looked more correct, i guess? like, they're both words, but which is grammatically correct in this scenario, i couldn't tell you.
> 
> ~ink

**Author's Note:**

> all the faeries have taken an oath to protect and serve the royal family, and to never use their names to control them unless there is no other way. so. just to clarify on that, that's why the faeries all know peoples' names. roman gave his freely to kalika after she saved his life, so she has his True Name (so, since he's human, just his full given name) and she gave him hers.
> 
> ~ink


End file.
